Settle down means to start living a stable life in one place, or to become calm. In the first meaning, a person stops moving from place to place and sets up a home, a family or a steady job. In the second, people use it about a noisy class, a crying child, or life becoming calm again after a busy period.
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settle down (with + partner) = start a settled life; settle down (= become calm); settle + someone + down
- After years of moving between cities, my brother settled down in Tver with his wife and kids.
- It took the class a few minutes to settle down after the noisy break.
- The baby cried all evening, so I sang to her until she settled down.
What changed
First versionAfter ten years of travelling, Mark wants to calm down, buy a house and start a family.
RevisionAfter ten years of travelling, Mark wants to settle down, buy a house and start a family.
Calm down might seem to fit, since Mark's life is about to become calmer. But calm down is only about feelings: to stop being worried, upset or angry. When the change is about lifestyle (a home of your own, a family, no more moving around), you need settle down.
Settle down is easy to confuse with settle in. Settle in means to get used to a new place during the first few weeks, such as an office, a school or a flat: How are you settling in at your new job? Settle down describes a decision to stay in one place for the long term.
Your turn
The children got home so excited after the birthday party that it took them an hour to ___ and fall asleep.
Show the answer
settle down — The children came home overexcited and needed an hour to calm down and fall asleep. That's settle down. Settle in means getting used to a new place, but the children are in their own home, so there's nothing new to get used to.
Write about someone you know who has settled down. Say where they finally settled and what changed in their life.
My old school friend travelled around Asia for five years, but last year he settled down in Samara and opened a small café.
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